Mayor Ellen Polimeni suggested the initiative during an October Ordinance Committee meeting — after seeing how the landlord group banded together in the face of a possible requirement that they register with the city. A group of landlords came out in force to gather more information and voice concerns over the proposal.

However, the idea of a landlords association in the city is not a new one.

Donna Bennett, a North Main Street landowner, formed the Canandaigua Landlords Association (CLASS) Facebook page about three years ago. Bennett said during the meeting that she supports the idea of a more active CLASS. While a plan for the group is in its early stages, Bennett said, they will meet at least two times a year beginning in early 2014.

The purpose of the group is to unite with other landlords to discuss issues and share tips, Bennett said. This can range from organizing a group to attend a City Council meeting to sharing contractor referrals, she added.

Downtown property owner Mike Yarger also started a CLASS Facebook group earlier this year — without knowledge of the existence of Bennett’s page — and the two will merge, he said.

Other landlords in the city — including Yarger, David Christoforo and Ian Boni — have also been active in attempts to both form an association and represent the group at City Council gatherings. Yarger, in particular, has been vocal about his opposition to a proposed ordinance — first discussed in August — which would create a landlord information database. It’s a law that has already changed since its initial proposal.

“It's no longer a permit process,” said City Attorney Michele Smith. “It truly is just an information collecting tool.”

She added that there is no fee attached, and that the original ordinance was based on a similar law in Norristown, Pa. — where City Manager David Forrest previously worked as a municipal administrator.

Despite the changes, some still vocalized concerns about having to fill out information every year, along with issues about the law not including businesses and single-family units.

“Are rental homes and its tenants seen as an inferior, second rate, less worthy, troublesome part of Canandaigua?” said Chapin Street resident Joann Kaufman during the Oct. 15 Ordinance Committee meeting.

The issue will return to the Ordinance Committee agenda in January. The remaining meetings for 2013 will be used for budget workshop discussions. City staff added that the need for the database stems from issues with a high number of rental property in the city — and past difficulty contacting landlords in the cases of emergency.

If anyone is interested in joining CLASS, contact Bennett at DonnaMBennett@ATT.net. There is no fee to join the group; however, you must be a Canandaigua landlord to attend, Bennett said.